Category: Reviews by Maddie

Review: Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead

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23770331.jpgGoodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead
Genre: Contemporary, Coming-of-Age
Published by: Anderson Press
Pages: 281
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★★
Note: We received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

After first hearing about this book it sounded like exactly the type of thing I love to read. Recently, I’ve been wanting to give middle grade more of a chance, and coming-of-age is one of my favourite sub-genres. So, Goodbye Stranger definitely ticked boxes on paper. I’m pleased to say, once I’d finished it, it continued to tick boxes…and make me want to eat cinnamon toast.  Continue reading “Review: Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead” →

Review: Dorothy Must Die and The Wicked Will Rise by Danielle Paige

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1805306018602341Dorothy Must Die and The Wicked Will Rise by Danielle Paige
Genre: Retelling
Published by: HarperCollins
Pages: 452 | 293
Format: Paperbacks
Rating: ★★★.5 | ★★.5

I don’t think I really need to explain why I wanted to read these books. The clue is all in the genre. The Wizard of Oz is one of my grandparents’ favourite films, Wicked is my favourite musical, and I’ve actually read the original for once, so I was really looking forward to see what was done to Oz to make it so terrible. At this point in the series, I think Wicked is a better retelling, and let me tell you why.  Continue reading “Review: Dorothy Must Die and The Wicked Will Rise by Danielle Paige” →

Review: The Next Together by Lauren James

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23266378The Next Together by Lauren James
Genre: Time Travel, Romance
Published by: Walker Books
Pages: 356
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★★★.5

We read The Next Together in preparation for a signing and panel Lauren James was doing alongside Alice Oseman, author of Radio Silence, and absolutely loved it! Described as a ‘reincarnation romance’, this book is sweet, action packed and always has a hint of mystery surrounding it that encourages you to keep turning the pages at the speed of light. So, without further ado, here are all the things we loved about The Next Together and why it should be the next book on your TBR list!  Continue reading “Review: The Next Together by Lauren James” →

Review: Gossip Girl by Cecily Von Ziegesar

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22188Gossip Girl by Cecily Von Ziegesar
Genre: Contemporary, Snobby
Published by: Little, Brown and Co.
Pages: 224
Format: e-book
Rating: ★.5

In the vain of me trying to read the novel versions of the TV shows I’m watching, (see my Pretty Little Liars review for the first instalment) I picked up Gossip Girl. We should also bare in mind that I’ve only watched five episodes, so know very little about the characters’ TV counterparts but what I can say about the book versions is this: Privileged, ungrateful and superficial.  Continue reading “Review: Gossip Girl by Cecily Von Ziegesar” →

Review: Rite of Redemption by Sarah Negovetich

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30237509Rite of Redemption by Sarah Negovetich
Genre: Dystopian
Published by: Self-published
Pages: 242
Format: ARC e-book
Rating:  ★★★
Note: We received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

It’s been such a lovely experience getting to finally finish the Acceptance series. Sarah contacted us to read the first book, Rite of Rejection back when our YouTube channel had under 1,000 subcribers and it meant so much that a self-published author thought that our audience was big enough to share her work with. Since then, Sarah’s finished the series and we’ve got over 5,000 subcribers, so we’ve all come a long way since the debut, especially the characters of the series.  So, without further ado, let’s discuss.  Continue reading “Review: Rite of Redemption by Sarah Negovetich” →

Series Review: Across the Universe by Beth Revis

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https://heartfullofbooks.com/2016/06/13/series-review-across-the-universe-by-beth-revis/
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Across the Universe, A Million Suns, Shades of Earth by Beth Revis
Genre: Sci-fi, Romance. Published by: Razorbill
Pages: 398, 404, 369 respectively. Format: e-book
Rating: ★★.5

The Across the Universe series seemed to be one of the staples of everyone’s shelves on the booktube community when we first joined almost three years ago. And I’m sure the majority of you will have heard of this series, if not for it’s content, then for the widely contested cover change. DUN DUN DUN. Not many people are talking about this series anymore, but we decided to give it ago anyway, because if it was popular once, then maybe it could be again. Unfortunately, I don’t think this will be the case. The whole series is very typical of what the YA market was like a a few years ago. Full of adventure, insta-love, and poorly explained enemies. Had we read it when it was first popular maybe we would’ve enjoyed the series, but instead we found ourselves slogging through for the sake of this review.

Continue reading “Series Review: Across the Universe by Beth Revis” →

Review: Sunny Side Up by Holly Smale

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27209626Sunny Side Up (Geek Girl #4.5) by Holly Smale
Genre: Contemporary
Published by: HarperCollins
Pages: 224
Format: ARC e-book
Rating: ★★★★
Note: We received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

Another Geek Girl book, you say? This is the best news ever! Sunny Side Up is the second Geek Girl special, and takes place between All That Glitters and Head Over Heels. In the first short story collection, All Wrapped Up, we got to see more of Harriet and Nick’s relationship outside of the modelling world. In this one, however, we jump head first into Harriet’s modelling adventures as she conquers Paris Fashion Week! Here’s everything we loved about Sunny Side Up, and why it’s one of the best short stories around!  Continue reading “Review: Sunny Side Up by Holly Smale” →

Review: A Little In Love by Susan Fletcher

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20738167A Little In Love by Susan Fletcher
Genre: Retelling
Published by: Chicken House
Pages: 288
Format: Paperback, borrowed from Sarah!
Rating: ★★★★

Sarah has been raving about this book in multiple Books and Baking videos, and the last time I was at her house, I finished the book I’d brought with me, so decided to pick something off her shelf. A Little in Love seemed like the perfect fit. I was a little bit worried about reading it, because it’s a retelling of Eponine’s story from Les Miserables by Victor Hugo and I know zippity zap about that. BUT, my ignorance to the French classic in no way stopped me from loving this book.  Continue reading “Review: A Little In Love by Susan Fletcher” →

Review: Between The Lines and Off The Page by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer

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9781444740998-uk25001544Between The Lines and Off The Page by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer
Genre: Contemporary, Fairytale, Romance
Published by: Hodder
Pages: 351 | 372
Format: Paperbacks
Ratings: ★★★.5

I’ve been wanting read these two books since I stumbled across them on Goodreads, via recommended books and realised they’d be exactly the thing I needed to rekindle my love for the Inkheart series without having to read Inkheart for the sixteenth time! Reading characters out of books has always fascinated me since reading Cornelia Funke’s masterpiece, and I really liked the idea of a mother-daughter writing duo dealing with the relationships formed between real people and fictional characters. Basically, this book is a fangirl’s dream come true, and it certainly read like a fairy tale! Continue reading “Review: Between The Lines and Off The Page by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer” →

(Spoiler) Review: Lady Renegades by Rachel Hawkins

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25518205Lady Renegades by Rachel Hawkins
Genre: Paranormal
Published by: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Pages: 264
Format: e-book
Rating: ★★★

And so, we’ve reached the end of the line with Harper, the epitome of silk hiding steel. How did the conclusion to the series measure up to the rest? Let’s see…

As the title of this review suggests, there will be spoilers. If you have not read Rebel Belle, or Miss Mayhem then this review will spoil some of the content of those books.  Continue reading “(Spoiler) Review: Lady Renegades by Rachel Hawkins” →